We'll Write Our Names Among The Stars
by icarus-this-bitch
Summary: Smuggler Ben Solo AU. In a world where Ben Solo was never Force Sensitive, he follows in his father's footsteps to become a smuggler of high regard. Follow his story as he finds his family, friends, and loved ones who he'd thought were dead. Starts about halfway through TFA, continues on past the death of Snoke. The marvelous misadventures of Ben Solo and the Gen 2.0 crew.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've fallen into the Star Wars dumpster... it's been years and then they hit me with the whammy that is TFA? And of course I've also fallen into the Kylo Ren dumpster because Adam Driver is genuinely ruining my life in the best way.**

 **This is a Smuggler Ben Solo AU that I've played around with on tumblr, and it's evolved into a fullblown fic that, while it has plot... is also just a bunch of domestic nonsense about these children having fun.**

 **There's adventure, heartache, friendship, family, horrible disaster and... yes, even romance. Though probably no smut and it won't be the main focus of the story. But there's Stormpilot, Reyva, Han/Leia and Luke/Wedge which like I said will be background. Couple of headcanons that are going to be a big part of the story; Rey is Luke's daughter, Finn is Force Sensitive, and Han and Leia were good parents** **fight me.** **Other than that, um, enjoy? And come talk to me on my tumblr!**

Chapter One

He couldn't believe this.

He was standing in the hull of the _Millennium Falcon_ , a ship he hadn't stepped foot on in _years_ , and he could only manage a faint sense of disbelief.

"I stole it from Unkar Plutt," The girl continued, voice coming out rushed and breathless. "He stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain."

"Who stole it from _us!_ " He snapped, indignation mixing with the anger in his voice. "Well, you tell that sorry sack of bantha shit that Ben Solo just stole back the _Millennium Falcon_ for good."

Rolling his eyes, Ben whirled on his heel and stalked down the corridor. Each step rose it's ghosts, phantom memories rising from the walls and the floor to fill him with fond nostalgia. This ship had been as much his home as the New Republic had, more so if he were pressed to admit it, and he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt to see so much of it stripped away. Oh, the bare basics of the _Falcon_ were there, beautiful not in aesthetics but more in the fact that they were _there_. The small things were gone though, the little paint stained hand prints sheltered by much larger ones, the affectations that proved that the ship had been lived in.

"This is the _Millennium Falcon?_ " The girl followed in awe. "You're Ben Solo? _The_ Ben Solo?"

"The son of the Rebellion General?" Her friend queried hesitantly.

"No, the smuggler!" She explained, bringing a slight smile to his lips. "This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs!"

"Twelve." He called back instinctively as his stern features lifted into a genuine smile for the first time. Ben could only imagine how Han Solo would react to seeing him with this old relic.

"BRuugH?" Chewbacca made a questioning sound as he followed behind, one massive furry paw tracing an older history along the walls.

"Everything you remember?" Ben tilted his head as he stepped into the cockpit, eyes drawn to a series of worn in scratches along the frame. Some things remained it seemed, some small things that would remain with the _Falcon_ no matter who held her.

Dark brown eyes shifted from instrument to instrument, drinking in each console and tallying it against a mental checklist. Everything was just as he remembered it, a little disheveled perhaps, a bit worn around the edges, but couldn't the same be said about him?

Everything except... "Hey! Some moof-milker put a compressor on the ignition line!"

"Unkar Plutt did." The girl explained partially ashamed and still vibrating in excitement. "I thought it was a mistake too, puts too much—"

"—stress on the hyperdrive." He squinted at that, unease mixing with a strange sense of familiarity as they finished the thought in unison. There was something about these kids, something about the girl in particular, that he felt like he _knew_. A sort of kinship, the kind that was big and felt fated, making him wonder just… who was she?

In that moment Ben decided that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, or their droid.

"Chewie, throw'm in a pod." He declared. "We'll drop'm on the nearest inhabited planet."

The wookiee made a noise of confused protest—he _had_ gone soft—but it was drowned out by the two of them.

"Wait, no!" The girl yelped. "We need your help."

Ben let out a snort of disbelief at that, turning to face them. "My help? Kid, you don't even know me."

"This droid has to get to the Resistance base as soon as possible!" As if noticing it for the first time, Ben looked down at the droid and froze. He would know that gaudy paint job anywhere; that was Poe Dameron's droid. Come to think of it… a quick glance confirmed, the younger man was wearing Poe's trademark flight jacket. The one that he would never let anyone touch unless…

 _Kriff._

"It's carrying a map to Luke Skywalker." The younger man finished, dark eyes intent on Ben's face. "You _are_ related to the Han Solo who fought with the Rebellion. You knew Luke Skywalker."

At that moment, under the scrutiny of three sets of eyes and an optical sensor, Ben really wanted to space the stowaways. It didn't take a kriffin' Jedi to know that they were thirteen different kinds of trouble and yet—

"Yeah," He found himself answering honestly. "I knew him."

There was a groaning of metal audible through the entirety of the cargo ship, a loud thunk that acted as a stark reminder of their cargo. "Kriff. Don't tell me a Rathtar's gotten loose—"

Ben took off at a jog out of the _Falcon_ and back onto the cargo ship, shoving his blaster back into it's holster as he went. Chewie followed after him, feet landing almost silently on the grated flooring as the wookiee lengthened his strides. Or maybe it was just that Chewie's footsteps were drowned out by the stomping of the two kids, the clang of metal rolling on metal.

"Wait, wait a second." The kid called, only to be ignored as Ben stepped onto the service deck and made a direct path to the nearest control panel. "Hold up, because I need to be sure what you just said. A _what's_ gotten loose?"

"Rathtar." Ben answered bluntly.

"Nope." The kid shook his head disbelievingly. "You're not hauling Rathtars."

"I'm hauling Rathtars." Ben answered in stride, eyes flicking back and forth across each monitor. "Aw, great, it's the Guavian Death Gang. They must have tracked us from Nantoon."

Chewie let out a series of gloating moans, checking his bowcaster as his long strides kept him at pace with Ben.

"Not the time, furrball." The raven grunted.

This looked… bad. This looked very, _very_ bad. Well. Maybe it wouldn't be _so_ bad, Ben thought, if he could talk his way out of it. See, he needed the Rathtars to deliver to King Prana and in order to get the Rathtars he'd needed some additional funding. Funding that he'd found in the form of Bala-Tik and the Guavian Death Gang. No doubt they wanted their money back, money which he happened to have spent in acquiring the Rathtars. Which, he had, and was on his way to deliver to the King, so technically he could convince Bala-Tik that he was going to get his money...

"I've got three of 'em going to King Prana." He interjected once the kid stopped blathering to the girl about the Trillia Massacre.

" _THREE?_ " He shouted. "How did you get them on board?"

"Well, I could tell you that Chewie and I got a bunch of their favorite food, tied it to a stick and led them to the holding bay. But I think we all know that would be a lie." Ben shrugged, still moving fast. "Used to have a bigger crew."

His mother was going to _kill_ him when she found out about this. He had to do something about these kids though; if that droid had a map to Luke Skywalker then he needed to get it back to the safety of the Resistance. Chaos, this was some really bad kriffin' timing.

 _Think, Solo. Think._

"Get below and stay there." He told them, jerking to a stop to punch at a hidden panel. "Don't move around; this boat's big enough to get lost in and… well, one wrong turn could introduce you to some cargo that would be _very_ happy to see you."

Ben narrowed a sharp look at the girl. "Don't even _think_ about trying to steal the _Falcon._ "

"What about BB-8?" She shot back in challenge, halfway lowered into the hidden compartment.

"The droid stays with me, until I get rid of the gang. Then you can have it back and be on your merry ways." And he could drop off the Rathtars and be on his.

"What are _you_ going to do?" She asked skeptically.

Ben rolled his shoulder at that, fingers brushing at his holstered blaster. "Same thing I always do; talk my way out of it."

Chewbacca let out a grumble of amusement, grunts and moans that were both short and sharp.

"That is _so_ unfair! Yes I do!" He snapped, jabbing a finger at the wookie. "Every time."

* * *

"This is not how I thought this day was gonna go." Ben sighed, flipping the switches on the _Falcon'_ s navicomputer. "Angle the shields and hang on back there."

"Got it." The girl called back, bringing instruments to life and working the controls like she'd been doing this her whole life.

Kriffin' Guavians, kriffin' Kanjiklub, kriffin' stowaway fugitives with their kriffin' droids running from the First kriffin' Order. He had thought he'd lucked out, finding the _Millennium Falcon_ after all these years but now Chewie was injured and his cargo was _trying to eat him_.

"C'mon old girl, don't let me down." He reached out to pull on the main hyperdrive control, waiting for… nothing. He tried again, engaging the thrusters and—why wasn't anything working? Now was _not_ the time for this bucket of bolts to kick out on him!

"What?" He hissed, skin crawling at the way the girl was watching him.

"Compressor." She offered, reaching over to hit the last switch, one that wouldn't even be on the navicomputer if Unkar Plutt wasn't a complete moron.

"I _hate_ Unkar Plutt." Ben muttered, hitting the switch once more. "I don't even know him but I hate him."

The _Falcon_ launched into hyperdrive, blasting the remaining gang members back and leaving bits and pieces of the latched on Rathtar smeared across several systems and the viewport. Finally, they were in the clear and everything was starting to look up for him…

Which was, of course, when all hell broke loose because really, what else could go wrong today?

Ben pushed out of his seat as the alarm sounded, shrill and piercing, and went to the problem panel. It seemed that Unkar kriffin' Plutt had only deemed minimum maintenance necessary for the _Falcon_ and now, between that and the ship spending who knew how long on a desert planet exposed to the elements, she was showing the lack of attention.

At least the alarms were working though.

"Power overload!" He called, indicators going to red as he tried readjusting the relevant parameters.

"I can fix that!" The girl offered hurriedly, fingers flying over the controls frantically. "Have you tried transferring the…"

"Auxiliary?" He shouted, "I'm on it!"

That tremor of familiarity was back, but this time he pushed it to the side as he took off running after the deafening roar from the vicinity of the lounge, pausing long enough to yell "You've got the con!"

He stopped on his way past the med-bay, poking his head in to level a dark glare at the kid. "Hey. You hurt Chewie and you answer to me, got it?"

"Hurt him?" The kid continued struggling with the bandaging, offense coloring his words. "He's almost killed me six times!"

Ben hesitated, eyeing his injured co-pilot worriedly. He wouldn't have made it this far without Chewie, and he hated to see the Wookiee in pain but they had slightly more pressing matters to worry about.

"If this hyperdrive blows there's going to be pieces of us in three different systems." He explained regretfully, turning back to the cockpit.

That was when everything went eerily, abruptly silent.

The girl dropped back into the co-pilot's seat, radiating smug satisfaction. "I bypassed the compressor."

"I—huh." That was smart, actually. Impressive. "Nice work kid. Keep monitoring system readouts and holler if it looks like anything's about to explode."

Immediate danger now passed, Ben pushed back up out of his seat to go check on his companion. The droid bumped into his shin, prompting the raven to glance down. "Move, ball."

Chewie moaned from his position on the bench, sitting up slightly at Ben's approach. The wookie reached out with his uninjured arm worriedly, pulling him half onto the bench as he attempted to inspect the human with the same care that was currently being shown his own wound.

"I'm fine." He huffed out a laugh, carefully checking the bandage. "Nah, Chewie, don't say that you did great. Just rest."

Chewie ruffled a hand through his hair in a comforting gesture before falling back, earning a genuine smile from Ben. The smuggler let his gaze linger on his partner for a few more seconds before turning to where the kid was sitting at the holochess table, fiddling with the controls. He looked exhausted, adrenaline wearing off to reveal a bone deep sort of weariness that made Ben think he'd been through too much too soon.

"Hey, thanks kid." The words stuck awkwardly in his craw, but they had to be said. And they were utterly sincere. "You did a good job on Chewie."

"You're welcome." He replied easily, frowning in confusion as the holochess set activated and the pieces started immediately fighting one another. As though bothered by the lack of instruction and control the kid immediately started fiddling with the console to turn it back off. It struck Ben as odd, how he'd kept his cool during their fight on the freighter, but it also struck him as being none of his business.

"So, fugitives, huh?" He asked lightly, arms crossing over his chest as he leaned back.

"The First Order wants the map," The girl nodded as she abandoned the controls. "The systems are stable. They're with the Resistance though… and I was with them. I guess that means I am too as far as the Order is concerned."

Right. She might believe that, but there was more to the two of them than met the eye. He raked Finn with a skeptical once-over, noting the way he dropped his face to study his hands. Yeah, that was the look of someone who had something to hide, but had no idea how to hide it. He had handled himself well under pressure, it was obvious he was a soldier of some sort but...

"Let's see what you've got." BB-8 swivelled its head before dutifully rolling forward into a suitable position. The droid brightened a lens, a split second warning before the lounge was filled with an enormous star map.

Ben stepped amongst the nebulae, solo stars, and translucent splashes of dark matter, sucking his lower lip between his teeth. It was awe-inspiring almost; for the girl it was and Finn looked impressed, but Ben was frowning. He had been all over the galaxy, made a habit of going to new places on a regular basis, and he could trace familiar positions and paths. His fingers lifted up as though to brush a particularly familiar cluster, depicted with startling clarity and only half there.

"It's not complete." He turned to the others. "It's really just a piece—which is _just like him_ —I can tell from what's familiar and where the breaks are. Makes sense though, ever since Luke Skywalker disappeared, people have been looking for him."

The girl let her mouth open slightly, drinking in the details of the chart. "Why did he leave, anyway?"

"Luke was raising a new generation of Jedi. An academy where anyone with Force-sensitivity was welcome to learn, and even those without it." His eyes drifted shut, brows knitting together as he remembered. "It was all going so well. Until it wasn't. Nobody's sure what really happened, but the rumor is that one of the boys turned against him. An apprentice that destroyed it all and killed everyone that was there. Everything Luke had worked for was just suddenly gone and, blaming himself, he walked away."

"Do you know what happened to him? Does anyone?" Finn asked, respectful as though he sensed how painful a subject this was for Ben.

He hadn't been at the Academy, was grateful that he hadn't because _that could have been him_. But he had lost so much that day. More than his uncle, he had lost one of his best friends. Had lost… her. A huge chunk of the Skywalker family had disappeared that day.

"There've been rumors, stories and speculation of course. The ones who knew him best think he went in search of the first Jedi Temple." He turned to them when the girl spoke, breaking her contemplative silence.

"The Jedi were real?"

Ben let out a huff of almost laughter, the small smile on his face as much his own as it was for them. "Yeah, it's real. This magical power holding together good and evil, light and dark. All of it's true. So is this; the First Order will kill us all for that map."

The Order would kill him on principal alone if they ever found him.

"You said ' _the ones who knew him best,'_ " Finn was watching him carefully, dark eyes guarded. "That include you?"

"Yeah." Ben turned at the sound of another alarm, this one different in that it lacked the urgency. "Including me. He was— _is_ —my uncle."

Chewie started to rise at the sound of the alarm, holding as Ben lifted a restraining hand. "You stay here; don't wanna risk all of the work our friend put into treating your injury. This is our stop anyway; you wanted my help and now you've got it. We're going to see an old friend of mine… a couple of old friends, maybe. Either way, we'll get you on a clean ship to the Resistance."

Chewie moaned tiredly at that, inquisitive.

"Yeah, her." Ben sighed in response. "I'll call in that favor if I have to."

He went back to the cockpit, completely missing the confused look that the two younger individuals shared.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two.

"Maz is a friend of mine." Ben explained, leading the group up the main steps to the Cantina. "She's a friend of the family, really, but she's run this watering hole for the past thousand years. You want to get BB-8 to the Resistance? She's our best bet."

He paused then, one foot still on the stairs, the other in the doorway as he turned to face the kids. "Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so let me do the talking. And don't stare…"

They both blinked at him, confusion evident. "At what?"

"Any of it." Ben waved a hand vaguely, pushing at the door.

The first time he had been to Takodana Ben had been, perhaps, a little young. His father had brought him here on a run when he'd been only six and in retrospect his mother's anger had been completely justified. Takodana was a meeting place for some of the worst kinds across the galaxy, but… it was also a meeting place where you could turn up some of the best kinds.

Aliens, humans, pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters, they all found themselves settling down for a day or two at Maz's Cantina. It was a breeding place for gambling, black market deals, scheming, it didn't matter what you did or what you'd done—for the most part at least—so long as you adhered to the rules, you could go about your business. There was really only one rule on Takodana; leave your drama at the door. It worked surprisingly well actually, for a number of reasons. Most folks respected the space that Maz provided for them, didn't want to upset that balance. Most folks were also terrified of what would happen should they provoke the owner.

Rey and Finn stuck close behind him, but there was no missing the awed expressions on their faces as they couldn't help but stare. Ben couldn't blame them though; this was probably the first time either of them had seen so many different species in the same space. It kicked at that damnable conscious of his; these kids had obviously both come from their own kinds of hell, they deserved better than whatever life had cut out for them.

"There are so many." Rey whispered, head swivelling to take in every sight that she possibly could. "I didn't realize there could be this many…"

"Let me take you to Corellia sometime Kid." Ben snorted. "Makes this seem almost desolate in comparison."

"Oh." Hazel eyes widened at that, and Rey shook her head. "Oh I don't think I would handle that very well."

" _BEN SOLO!"_

Ben opened his mouth to answer, to offer some reassurance or something, when his name rang across the Cantina. Everything went silent at that, all eyes and optical sensors swivelling to land on him and the smuggler resisted the urge to lift his hands in surrender. He was… almost certain he wasn't going to get shot.

"Oh crap." He muttered, affecting a weak smile and a wave. "Hey, Maz!"

The crowd parted as noise returned to the Cantina, someone getting shoved out of the way as Maz Katana came to stand in front of him, hands on her hips in a way that reminded him strongly of his mother. "Where's my boyfriend?"

"Huh?" Finn cut Rey a confused look, stepping closer to her.

"Chewie's working on the _Falcon_." He answered, wondering if there had ever been a time in his memory when he hadn't been taller than her. Not that he was going to voice that errant thought; he was quite happy with the current placement of his organs, thank you very much.

A small, almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed Maz's face then, until her lips pursed and her eyes flicked to the two standing behind him. "Pity, I like that Wookiee. Well, I assume you need something. Desperately. Let's get to it then."

Without warning she spun on her heel and walked away, gesturing for them to follow. Ben turned to see matching looks of concern on Rey and Finn's face, and gave them a sort of hapless gesture. "C'mon then."

* * *

There were a great many types that frequented the Cantina on Takodana; there were Resistance sympathisers, there were spies to the First Order, and there were those in between. The figure lounged in a shadowy corner of the Cantina, bionic fingers tapping a steady rhythm against the scratched and stained wood, was neither.

She cut an intimidating figure in black; her reinforced undersuit strengthened by plastoid plating that was almost reminiscent of a Stormtrooper's armor. Almost, in that it had been minimized to offer a balance that favored mobility over protection leaving only the chest plate and greaves. The helmet was designed to protect the wearer's identity at all times, a smooth curve with a bottom that could be manipulated to reveal the face below the nose. Her posture was relaxed at the moment, free hand running affectionately through the hair of the woman sprawled across her lap, but it was obvious to see the annoyance building.

" **My Captain will only offer this alliance once, Void.** " The little man sneered, " **Join Yearo Seville or have your territory taken.** "

The pirate known as Void didn't respond, though to the Seville representative it seemed as though her attention was locked on him. In reality though, Void couldn't give a damn what the little man was saying or what Yearo wanted; it was a bluff anyway. She knew that her fleet was stronger than his, knew that the stretch of space that she'd taken for her own was safe from anything Seville or his mother could throw at her. No, the idiot just wanted her to think his name meant something in an attempt to gather more power.

" _Ben Solo._ " When Maz's sharp voice silenced the entire Cantina, her eyes slid unseen to the figure in question,an almost smile breaking out on her face at the way he hunched his shoulders in greeting. The man was a mess, and yet somehow he was one of the best smugglers there were. A scoundrel just like his father; Ben Solo affected an air of roguish indifference that masked his rather affluent upbringing.

"Sasha," Void called sweetly pushing a few strands of silver hair behind the woman's ear, "Why is he still talking?"

Sasha purred and stretched out on her lap like a content loth-cat. "I dunno boss. Maybe he thinks he has something important to say. Something worth listening to?"

"That's a problem I've noticed with a lot of men," She sighed, fingers drumming a playful little beat. "It's so seldom true."

The alien sputtered indignantly at that, scalp crests stiffening aggressively. " **Your disrespect has lasted long enough Void! My Captain will—** "

"Do nothing." The pirate interrupted with that pleasantly indulgent expression on her visible face. "Cronan let's drop the charade here, we're all friends! The Seville pirate gang is barely worth a second look these days; they made the mistake of backing the wrong side in the Galactic Civil War and now they have to reap the admittedly lacking benefits. Whereas I've found myself a very successful little venture out here in the Outer Rim."

Sasha hummed a confirmation at that, cybernetic eyes blinking lazily as Void continued. "Yearo wants to build himself back up but problem is he's a thug who's had one, maybe two good ideas in his entire life. He wants my base, he wants my fleet, he wants my connections, and he probably wants the bragging rights of saying he's slept with one of the most powerful pirates in the galaxy. Problem is that he doesn't have jack shit to help him seize my assets by force and he doesn't have the charm to get my _assets_ any other way."

When Maz passed by with the others, Solo, a girl, some kid wearing a leather jacket and the orange and white BB unit, the fingers stopped their tapping as the pirate leaned forward slightly. "We're done here."

It was an almost imperceptible shift in attitude; to anybody else it would have been unnoticable, but Sasha lifted her head as she felt the sudden tension bolt through Void. While the cyborg had no idea what had caused the change she knew that her captain had gone from mildly amused to towing the razor thin line of her temper almost instantly.

Cronan opened his mouth again, rather stupidly in Sasha's opinion, to argue. Rather than letting the little cretin get shot—and potentially jeopardize their welcome on Takodana—the cyborg straightened up and let just the threat of red shine in her eyes. "It was so nice seeing you. Give our regards to your boss."

" **You will regret this, scum.** " The figure in black tilted her head slightly at the insult, palm flattening on the table as her other hand came to rest beside it.

Cronan, seeming to realize the mistake, took a step back as she half rose out of her seat. "You've issued your little warning, _friend_ , now I'm going to issue mine. If Yearo so much as shows his stupid face anywhere near my territory all bets are off. If he tries to step foot in _my_ space there won't be enough of him left over for a kriffin' DNA scanner. If you had half a brain in that gourd shaped head of yours, you would turn around and leave before I send you home in little pieces with a letter."

"Have I made myself clear?" Chalk it up to the fact that the rest of their small shore party was glaring at the alien, or simply the fact that the pirate Captain was absolutely fucking terrifying when pissed, but Sasha was rather satisfied to see Cronan scuttering away.

"Well," Sasha let a hand settle on the woman's arm, easing her back down. "That was fun."

"Send a message back to the fleet." Void barked, "Tell them that if that slimeball starts sniffing around they have full clearance to use excessive force. Yearo decides that he's going to test my conviction, I want his shitty little freighter scattered across the stars as warning."

"Harsh, but alright. Ki'dara will you grab us some drinks? The Captain seems a little tense." Which was a bit of a novelty in of itself; of the lot of them, Void was usually the one who kept a level head in most situations.

The mirialan nodded skimming a comforting hand over the Captain's shoulder as she slid out of the booth. "Be right back."

"Everything alright, boss?" Sasha asked, frowning. "You usually have a much higher tolerance for Cronan's shit."

"Who is that with Solo?" Void kept her head turned towards the group sitting with Maz, eyes flicking beneath the mask from the boy in a jacket that he shouldn't have and the girl. The girl from a desert planet who had never seen that much food in her life and was currently stuffing her face trying out every single thing.

"I have no idea." Sasha shrugged, though her eyes were focused more on the round BB unit. "Rumor is that the Resistance is looking for a droid… so is the First Order. It's probably worth a lot."

"No." Any other day, any other droid, and she would have pounced on that information for a chance to make a couple of quick credits.

But not today, not _this_ droid.

"I want a word with the man," Void declared. "Privately."

Sasha studied her Commander, not for the first time wishing that she could see the woman's eyes. But Void never let the public see the entirety of her bare face, setting off a wildfire of rumors and speculation. Some suggested that she was a sith, her eyes shielded so nobody could see the bright yellow coloring of them. Others figured that she had to be blind, or otherwise horribly disfigured and was ashamed of the scarring. Sasha had seen Void without her helmet and knew that none of the rumors were true; it had nothing to do with being ashamed of her physical features and everything to do with a woman running from her past.

What the cyborg could tell though was that Void was dead serious and that was enough for her. Whatever the man accompanying Solo had done, she certainly didn't envy him.

* * *

"Take care of yourself. Please." Finn knew that the crushed look on her face was just another of those things that would linger and haunt him for however long he lived. But he _couldn't_ do this; he didn't want to be a part of this war, of this fight that had already taken so much out of his life. It hurt, it felt like he was severing something inside of his heart, but he had to do this.

Finn turned back to the aliens, nodding to the both of them to confirm that he was ready to leave. They turned back to the door, to the exit and before he crossed that final threshold, that point of no return, he threw one last look back at her. But Rey was gone, moving deeper into the castle and away from him and to Finn it felt… fitting.

"I—hey!" The two aliens spun around at his startled shout, blasters raised at the person who had locked their hand down on his arm.

"Void wants a word with him." The woman explained, coolly assessing their weapons. "It probably won't take too long."

"Void?" Finn choked, gripping his own weapon as fear clawed up his throat. "Void the pirate queen?"

They had heard of her, name spoken in hushed whispers across the barracks like a ghost story. Except, there had never been any doubt that the woman in question was real, the real fear came from the risk of agitating one of the higher up officers by mentioning her. Most pirates had a tendency to try and avoid both the First Order and the New Republic, but there were a few that targeted either organization individually. Void irrefutably, indisputably _hated_ the First Order.

"Look, you can't let them—she'll—" But the aliens were already shaking their hands in dismissal, the Gabdorian first mate growling out a guttural command that caused the cyborg to laugh.

"Take that up with the Commander." Eerie blue eyes pinned him in place more efficiently than the grip. "Stop struggling kid. If she wanted you dead outright you'd be dead outright. The boss just wants a word."

He was going to die. Finn was almost positive that he was about to die as he was led around the side of the castle, in the direction of a sleek, deadly looking starship. Standing in front of it, arms crossed and a blaster at her hip, was Void.

"Word of advice, kid." The cyborg whispered as they marched forward. "She's in a mood so I wouldn't say anything until you're spoken to. And don't try to lie."

Finn nodded at that, mouth suddenly dry as he tried to swallow back his fear. They came to a halt a few feet apart, prompting the pirate to drop her hands to her waist as she studied him. He couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably as she watched him, the silence stretching out uncomfortably. The woman was a pirate notorious not only for her hatred of the First Order, but also for her tendency to vent anyone she didn't like out of the airlock of her ship. She regarded him calmly, what was visible of her face so smooth and still that it might as well have been carved out of marble. Finn didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say or what she wanted, but maybe… maybe she would believe that he wanted nothing to do with the Order.

"What's your name?" The voice that spoke those words were oddly clipped, the tone and accent ringing familiarly in his ears though he couldn't place it.

"I—huh?" He blinked at the question completely at a loss. "Finn. My name is Finn."

"Finn. Are you a smuggler, Finn? You have the build of a man who's been trained for battle, your hands hold that blaster like they were born to it. Maybe you're a soldier." Her words were cold. "Are you, perhaps, with the Resistance? I don't think that you are."

"I—" He remembered the cyborg's warning and swallowed. "I was a soldier. I'm not anymore."

"Not anymore?" With a jerk of a nod the cyborg shoved him forward, nose-to-faceplate with the pirate. "What does that make you then? A scavenger picking from the bones of the dead?"

Before Finn could move she had a hold of the collar of Poe's— _his_ —jacket. He wanted to struggle, wanted to fight back but he couldn't. Not only were there three different blasters aimed unwavering at him from the other members of the crew but Void had an iron grip on him. Her jaw was clenched, the muscle jumping in anger and the way she tilted her head let him see a long, crooked scar that caught from just under her ear and trailed a path along her mandible. As though someone had tried to cut the skin from her face.

"I have very little inclination to keep you alive Finn." She warned him quietly. "And judging by your reaction you know my reputation so you know that there's a narrow chance for you to survive."

The breath froze in his lungs as he stared at the helmet. "Wh—what do you want from me?"

"The truth." With a slight push he went stumbling backwards. "That jacket that you're wearing, it's a non-regulation flight jacket over thirty years old, out of style and out of commission though it's been patched and well cared for. The man who owns it is a Resistance pilot who would just as soon die as he would give it up."

Void looked him up and down, assessing his frame, locating his weaknesses. "How did it come to be in your possession?"

"It… it belonged to Poe Dameron." He explained. "He was fulfilling a secret mission for the Resistance when he was captured on Jakku by the First Order."

"What happened to Dameron?" She interrupted, anger bleeding into her words as she took a threatening step forward. "What did they do to him?"

There was an urgency in that question that surprised him, a slight shake in her tone that he could easily attribute to fear. It was obvious then that this woman had known Poe, had known him fairly well in fact. While Finn was curious as to how the Resistance pilot had managed to befriend the deadliest pirate in the galaxy, he wasn't exactly shocked. Poe Dameron was a special kind of person after all.

"They tortured him, they were going to execute him when I helped him escape. We stole a TIE fighter and tried to go back to Jakku for the droid, for BB-8 when we were shot down. We crashed and… I'm sorry but he didn't make it." He explained, tasting the greasy smoke on his tongue and feeling the burning grit of the sand on his hands. "I tried to help him, I really did. The ship got caught in a sand trap and this was the only thing I could pull out."

"Boss?" The cyborg asked worriedly as Void seemed to slump in on herself. It was so humanizing to see her, even if it was in grief, and Finn felt sympathy when she reached up to pinch underneath the mask and swipe her fingers across her cheek.

"I see." Even with the base tan of her skin it was obvious that Void had lost a few shades of color at the news. "Pfassk!"

She looked stricken as though Finn had just shown her the business end of his blaster.

"I'm sorry." Finn told her sincerely. "I wish it could have gone another way."

"I believe you." The words were quiet but they were genuine. "Be careful with Big Head and Red. They'll get you to where you need to go, but they also won't hesitate to kill you and steal the clothes off your back if it suits them. You'd be better off—"

The three of them paused at the sound that filled the sky; an ominous roar as though an impossible amount of energy was being passed through space. Lines of red fire, phantom energy that had torn a portion of space-time, unstoppable by any means… they collided in a shower with some immovable object, destroying everything in it's path.

"It was the Republic." Finn whispered, the words almost drowned out by the cries as the crowds gathered in the courtyard.

"Finn." The pirate reached out for him again, grabbing his shoulder and forcing his attention back down to her. "Find your friend, the girl. Get her to Ben Solo and get her to the Resistance. She's just as important to finding Luke Skywalker as that droid is, do you hear me? Tell Solo… tell him it's her."

Finn didn't understand the context behind those words, was hit with a million more questions, but he committed them to memory nonetheless. The intensity of her words weren't lost on him and whatever they meant—he only hoped that Ben could offer more insight—they were important. He nodded once at that, before turning and running back to the castle.

* * *

"...tell him it's her."

This was bad. This was horribly, catastrophically bad. If the First Order felt confident enough to fire their weapon, then they had to be ready to wage this war. They had to be confident enough in their power, in their search for Skywalker which meant—

Oh, _kriff._

Sasha stepped forward, closing the distance between them to brace a hand against her shoulder. "We've got to go Commander."

"Prep the ship for launch; the First Order is coming for that droid." As if to prove her words a fleet of First Order ships swooped by overhead. "Get off planet, get out of range until this blows over and take out as many of those TIE fighters as you can in the process."

The other two members of her crew were already bolting up the hangar ramp, Loeb hanging back to make a sweeping gesture for Sasha. The cyborg hesitated, blue eyes locking on her face as her hand tightened on her shoulder. "What about you?"

Void smiled at that, a sharp pull of the lips that revealed her teeth in a savage expression as she reached up to press her thumb into the underside of her helmet. The panels slid into place, transparisteel plating sliding down to completely cover her face as the visual display flickered in a shine of lavender. Today was not a good day for her, not in the slightest. Too many of her ghosts were being dragged up out of her past for her to be happy and right now she was a simmering volcano of loss and grief that ached for some sort of release.

"I'll signal when I'm ready for pick up, Lieutenant." She explained easily, checking the charge on the blasters at her hip. "I've got a score to settle."

"Commander—" Sasha knew where she was coming from, knew what the news had done to the woman but that just meant the pirate was likely to make some sort of reckless decision. "You know you should come with us. Leave this fight behind."

"Never." Void spat, completely unreadable behind her helmet as her head tilted to the figure making their way down the ramp. "Loeb, tell me you've got them?"

"Calibrated and ready to go Commander." Her hands closed around the textured grip of the batons, hooking them into the holsters at her hip. "Voltage has been amped up and they're set to full strength."

"That's what I like to hear. The First Order took something from me I'm not letting them take anything else. You have your orders; get the hell out of here and await my signal. I have no plans of dying today but I don't expect you to fight in a battle that isn't yours." Sasha clicked her tongue at those words, lips pressing together as she finally released Void.

"Signal us." The Lieutenant repeated, watching her Commander nod before turning away. "A battle that isn't ours… you're an idiot."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Forgot to mention most of the dialogue is taken from a mix of the script pdf and the novelization of** ** _The Force Awakens_** **. I'm probably going to hurry through the rest of the events that take place in the movie; the story is actually going to start once we move past the events of** ** _The Force Awakens._** **Other than that, I don't own Star Wars, but I'm always happy to scream about it on tumblr!**

Chapter Three:

"Solo!" Finn came skidding to a stop, feet slipping on the smooth stone as both Maz and Ben turned to face him. The man looked pale—paler than usual—and he reached out a steadying hand. "It's the First Order, they've—where's Rey?"

"She…" Ben swallowed as he recalled the abject terror on the girl's face, her oh so familiar face. How hadn't he seen it before? In retrospect… she looked so much like Luke, she had his eyes, the same nose, the same way of looking at a person.

"Take this." Maz stepped forward with an outstretched hand, the lightsaber hilt in her palm as she offered it to Ben.

The smuggler skittered back, real fear crossing his features even as nausea burned a pit in his stomach. "I'm not touching that kriffing thing. I don't know how you found it, whether it was by the Force or _whatever_ , but I want nothing to do with it."

"Void." That one word made both Maz and Ben turn to him, confusion evident in the pinch of the latter's brows. "The pirate, she was asking me about Poe when the First Order attacked the Hosnian System. She told me to tell you that Rey was important to find Luke Skywalker."

Maz pressed the lightsaber into Finn's hand. "Your friend is in grave danger, child. Take this and find her."

"Did she say anything else?" Ben demanded. "Finn—Did she say anything else?"

"She told me… she told me to tell you that it's her."

It made no sense. How could she know? The pieces all seemed to fit, as impossible as it was; Rey had been called by the lightsaber. By Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. His grandfather… and hers. How though? His parents had been so certain they'd lost Rey, so certain that was why Luke had gone into exile when the galaxy still needed him. How did his cousin wind up abandoned on a desert planet and how did Void of all people know about it?

Perhaps more importantly… why didn't she tell him?

The castle itself rumbled, dust and mortar falling from the ceiling. Finn, still staring at the lightsaber in his hand with a somber, awed expression, lifted his eyes. All of them were focused on the sounds filtering in around them, the sounds of screaming and crumbling architecture.

"Those monsters." Maz breathed. "They're here."

Ben instinctively grasped for the hilt of his blaster, reaching out to grip Chewbacca's arm. "We've got to get out there."

The wookiee let out an affirmative growl as he adjusted the bowcaster, taking the lead out of the basement. Debris littered their path, mounds of it that acted as good cover giving them time to take stock of their surroundings. It was chaos, absolute chaos as stormtroopers swarmed through and around the inhabitants of Takodana. Some had tried to flee, but others were more determined to make a stand. The whine of ships leaving orbit clashed with plasma cannons being fired as a few ships engaged the TIE's. Ben noticed the sleek black lines of Void's ship, the call sign of the ring a stark white against the dark plating.

She hadn't turned tail and ran, which was more a relief than he wanted to admit at the moment.

"Find Rey and the droid." Ben told him, watching as Finn threw a look over his shoulder.

"I lost my blaster. I need a weapon." The smuggler groaned in unison with Maz's disgusted snort.

The alien reached up to grab Finn's arm with surprising strength, shoving the lightsaber towards his face. "You have one!"

 _Better him than me._ Ben thought, glaring at the sudden flash of blue light. He hadn't been kidding when he said he wanted absolutely nothing to do with that thing, with that part of his family history. As much as Ben loved his uncle Luke, as much as he respected the Jedi… It was a trick of fate that had kept him away from the Academy. Had the circumstances of his life been different, it was chilling to imagine what he could have become through the Force.

Of course the lightsaber made them the perfect target for the swarming stormtroopers, and Ben threw himself behind a crumbling wall as he returned fire. He'd grown up as the son of Han Solo with a blaster in his hands since he was thirteen; he was one hell of a crack shot and all of his attacks were met with the collapse of a stormtrooper. Chewbacca roared in approval as the bowcaster sprayed dirt and bodies with each hit.

Out of the corner of his eye Ben saw Finn lunge forward in a smear of aqua as the saber hummed and sliced through white armor. Despite the kid's lack of formal training, he was strong and brave and Ben had a feeling that of the lot of them, Finn would be perfectly fine on his own.

The same could not be said about him.

They dipped and dodged through the ruins of the castle making sure to keep an eye on Finn whenever they could. It was easier said than done, however, when Ben found himself and Chewbacca surrounded by troopers. The odds weren't _awful_ he thought, back pressing against stone as he brought his blaster up.

"Don't move!" One of the bucketheads warned, aiming at them both.

 _Kriff._

The sound of blaster fire heralded the explosion of sparks and soot that sent a trooper staggering forward with a hole in their back. The others whipped around at the ready as Void came leaping over a toppled pillar, blaster firing randomly as she thrust an electrically charged baton into the shoulder joint of the nearest trooper. Spinning with impressive speed she grabbed the body to use as a shield while the others shot at her.

"Gonna stand there or help?" Void snarled, shoving the corpse forward as she shot back.

Ben gave himself a slight shake and lifted his blaster again, picking off the stragglers before they could shoot or kill the pirate. Chewbacca swept out a furry arm to knock one out of the way, lifting the trooper up and bodily tossing them out from behind their cover.

When it was over, Void inspected the charge on her blaster with a cock of her head, tongue clicking as she shoved it into the holster. "We should get moving."

Ben stared at the woman, sweat dripping down his temple as he absently wondered how in the hell she wasn't overheating in that exosuit. The thought passed like water through his fingers when he recalled Finn's words, recalled that she somehow knew that Rey had survived the massacre at the Academy.

"Ben!" Her body went on high alert when he lunged forward and grabbed her by the arms, anger flowing through him easily as he slammed the woman back against the wall. "What the pfassk is wrong with you?"

"Rey." He bit out, glaring at the helmet. "How long have you known it was Rey? Why didn't you tell me? You _know_ what she meant to me."

Void went limp instantly, fingers falling away from his elbows as the sleek dome of her head thunked against the wall. "I… It's complicated."

"Not. Good. Enough." Chewie moaned worriedly at the two of them, bowcaster raised as he kept watch around them.

Void was decidedly placid under his hold; if she wanted to the woman could easily break free and bloody his nose before he could react. If it weren't for the dire circumstances he would almost want her to… it had been a while since the last time he'd fought with her and Ben could with a bit of stress relief.

"She would have died if I hadn't left her there!" The voice cracked even through the mechanization of the helmet. "I was supposed to go back, but Redwing caught me and everything went to hell. By the time I finally made it back onto Jakku years had passed. Skywalker was gone. I didn't know—burn me in hell, I _didn't know_!"

"You still could have told me." Her confession raised more questions than it answered and not for the first time Ben got the sense that Void was shrouded in layers. He'd felt it when they'd first met, an infamous pirate singling out a relatively unknown legacy smuggler, speaking with a familiarity that she knew him. He'd thought much of the same, even from that initial encounter; that somehow he knew her. Over the years he'd come to know her, had come to know her in multiple senses, and yet he'd never seen her face. Every piece of her armor that he'd crawled under had led to even more intricate patterns hiding the core of her identity underneath.

But he _knew_ her.

Like she was some lost snatch of an Alderaan lullaby that his mother had once sung to him as a child. Fleeting, foreign, a remnant of something long gone but a part of him nonetheless.

"I owe you an explanation." She admitted. "I'll tell you everything, but we've got to find Rey first. We have to get her out of here."

He stepped out of her space, hands falling away as he regained control of his emotions. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. We get Rey and BB-8 to the Resistance, and then we _talk_. Face to face."

* * *

Finn hit the ground with a whoosh of air, lightsaber poised above him even as he saw Nines swinging the shock stick downwards. He ignored the bite of despair when he realized that there was no way he could deflect that killing blow—only to gape in surprise when the trooper fell backwards with a charred hole in his chest.

Rolling onto his stomach, Finn only absently noted the bite of rubble against his chest as he let out a huff of relief. Ben was racing towards him, reaching down with a powerful grip to yank Finn to his feet.

"You okay, Big Deal?" Chewbacca followed not far behind, the rear of the little group being brought up by none other than Void.

Swallowing his surprise—and boy was he surprised—he had to grin. "I'm okay, yeah—thanks."

"Think nothing of it." Ben brushed the dust off of Finn's shoulders as he scanned the area. "Any sign of Rey?"

"Nothing." Finn shook his head sadly.

Void stepped forward at the smuggler's disappointment and Finn couldn't help but notice the stiff way Ben jerked back from the brush of her shoulder. It didn't take a Jedi to tell that there was something off between the two, and Finn couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't _anybody_ the pirate didn't know.

"If she was smart," Void told them. "She would have headed to the woods. Better cover there."

Chewbacca let out a bark of agreement, fingers brushing over the bowcaster. Finn opened his mouth to suggest they head that way next when they were interrupted by the appearance of at least twenty stormtroopers. They moved in perfect synch instilled by years of training side by side, blasters raised on the four figures in the center. They all raised their weapons in unison, Ben lifting his own hand blaster as Void reached for what looked like two arm length metal batons.

There was no point though; their odds were shit.

"Drop the weapons!" The leader, as made obvious by the red shoulder plate, ordered. " _Now!_ "

"Well this is shit." The pirate muttered, complying almost instantly. "No way we're taking all of them."

Finn couldn't help the swell of despair when one of the troopers made a beeline straight for the saber, scooping it up as another grabbed the batons, the blasters, and the bowcaster. There was nothing they could do, this little revolt of theirs was efficiently broken.

"Any ideas of how to get out of this?" Chewbacca moaned a terse reply to that question, earning a snort from Void and a sneer from Ben. "Fucking hilarious."

"Hands on your heads." The lead trooper shoved Finn forward, gesturing in the direction of the nearest transport. "Try anything and I'll shoot your legs off."

They didn't try anything; for all intents and purposes they were all completely disarmed. Even as they were force marched towards the shuttle Finn tried to think of something, some way they could escape, certain that his companions were doing the same. There was something a little too relaxed about the way Void moved, her fingers brushing and working at the collar of her battle armor as she kept her pace smooth and even. Ben kept casting furtive looks around them, the constant flicker of his eyes and the way he would occasionally dart his attention to the woman at his side making Finn wonder if there wasn't something she was hiding. Some last, impressive trick up her sleeve.

It wasn't the pirate that saved them. It wasn't the smuggler, or the wookiee, or even some stroke of genius on Finn's behalf that had blown apart the landed First Order ships. It was, against all odds, a fleet of X-wing ships.

"It's the Resistance!" Ben yelled, hands drifting from his head.

The moment of distraction was all that she needed, and Void pulled a hidden vibrodagger stashed along the curve of her upper back. She jabbed it into the arm of the trooper nearest to her, using the surprise to snatch his blaster and fire off a couple of shots. The captives dove for cover as the clearing was filled with the smell of searing meat and the haze of blue light as the rest of the troopers fired recklessly trying to hit the moving woman. But the next blast was far too powerful to come from a hand weapon, and it scattered their captors as the X-wings fired in the clearing.

The dust settled just enough for Finn to see the black-stained X-wing ship as it looped around an impossibly tight arc, swooping in for another run.

"That's one helluva pilot!" He cheered.

"Yeah…" There was something speculative in Void's words, her attention following the trajectory of the ship. "One helluva pilot."

"Hey!" Ben snapped at the both of them, beckoning them closer. "Why don't you two appreciate the maneuvers from behind cover before you get your admiring selves shot!"

With a shake of her head Void glanced around for her batons, the palms of her gloves lighting up an electric blue as the metal flew towards her. Finn would almost call it the Force if he didn't recognize the battery pack for the electromagnets on the vambrace of her left arm. He could feel the weight when her gloved hand grasped his arm and tugged him into cover.

They fell into a familiar pattern then, dodging in and out of cover as they picked off what remaining First Order troops they could. At least, Finn, Ben and Chewbacca dodged in and out of cover. There was nothing subtle or restrained about Void as she rejoined the battle, and Finn was reminded of the horror stories they told about the woman. The staff though… it wasn't like Rey's, and he'd openly gaped when she'd connected the two batons. Electricity pulsed over the nodes on each end, crackling blue and purple as it sought to ground itself with each sweeping attack. Finn had heard of electrostaves before, it had been covered in basic weapons training, but he'd never expected to see one in the flesh. They were weapons designed to fight and kill Jedi, and there weren't supposed to be any Jedi left.

It was just as effective against stormtroopers, as evidenced by the way they shuddered and collapsed at even the briefest of contact.

The First Order was retreating, difficult as it was when the black X-wing dropped low to take out another row of TIE fighters. But they were scrambling to the transports, making them easy pickings for the survivors of the castle. Finn took out two with a recovered blaster before his attention was drawn to a familiar cloaked figure. Kylo Ren moved towards the huge command shuttle with a bundle in his arms, a bundle that Finn instantly recognized.

"REY!" He couldn't let him take her, had to do something to save the scavenger.

Ignoring the blaster fire that streaked past him, ignoring the gouges carved into the earth at his feet, and ignoring the shouts of his companions, Finn raced towards the shuttle. But there was nothing he could do, not from this distance, and a familiar— _hated_ —feeling of helplessness rose in him as the shuttle lifted off the ground and rose to the clouds. He tried to follow the retreating figure with his eyes, squinting and straining even as it became a dot before inevitably disappearing into the atmosphere.

"No, no, no, no...Rey." He shouted until his voice was hoarse, and then shouted some more. "Rey!"

The remaining First Order ships ascended shortly after their leader, closing ranks to create a tight escort around the command ship. A few X-wings opened fire, an unknown class of starfighter that was more interested in landing, but there was nothing determined about it. The Order was retreating, and as far as the Resistance was concerned, they had the map to Luke Skywalker safe on Takodana.

There were tears in his eyes when Finn slowed beside Ben. "They took her! Did you see that? Rey's gone!"

"Move." The smuggler growled, shoving Finn aside as he walked determinedly to the approaching form of a Resistance shuttle. Finn was stunned speechless when BB-8 trilled what sounded like an apology before rolling after the man.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Maz a short distance away, being helped to her feet by Void.

"It's true they have Rey now." Maz offered gently. "But we can't give up hope." Her next words were directed at the figure in black. "You've been running from your past for too long, child. Where the mask once protected you, now it hinders. You know what you must do, my dear. Nyakee nago wadda; go home!"

Void shook her head at that, the electrostaff deactivated and stowed away as her hand clutched at her shoulder to apply pressure to a wound. "I don't know if I can."

Finn walked over to them, and together he and Maz watched the woman follow in the direction that Ben and Chewie went in. "Looks like I've got some cleaning up to do, hmm?"

* * *

"Ben, that's not possible… You know what happened at the Academy." Leia soothed, reaching out to grip his arm. It was a touch meant to reassure, and he wasn't sure if she meant to reassure him or herself.

"I know that, mom. I _know_ , but—" Movement on his peripheral startled him out of whatever he had intended to say; Han shifted ever so slightly, hand going to the blaster. "You."

The Organa-Solo family regarded the approaching woman with mixed reactions. Han had, of course, heard the rumors associated with the pirate, and he couldn't help but respect the woman who commanded such rumors. He had also heard tales of her from his son and his friend, though this was the first time he'd ever actually met her. Ben felt annoyance bubble up in him, cutting through the desperate need to be believed. Void had proof, she had some sort of proof, and she was going to give it to them no matter what he had to do. His eyes locked on the injured shoulder and his anger threatened to deflate in the face of worry but he forced himself to hold onto it. She had lied to him, had kept this secret and he wanted to know why.

Leia was far more wary of the woman. Injured as she was, something about her presence sent tremors through the Force. It felt almost fated, and Leia was struck with the smell of cinnamon and chocolate, wit the sensation of warm, tropical rain and the brush of leaves from a tree attuned to the Force.

"General." The full helm distorted her voice as Void came to a stop in front of them. "General. Ben."

"You owe me answers." Ben snapped. "You owe us answers." He turned his attention to his parents. "She can prove that it's Rey. That it's our Rey."

Even as angry as he was he couldn't help the sympathetic flinch when she dropped her hand from her shoulder to reveal a wound sticky with blood. His relationship with the pirate was complicated at best; affection and fondness rolled up with time spent together sporadically and mind blowing sex, but he did care. He cared more than was perhaps wise, considering that while she claimed to trust him more than most, he'd never actually seen her face. When they slept together it was either quick and rushed to the point where they never managed to get their clothes completely off, or it was done in the absolute dark.

The wound looked bad he realized belatedly, they should really get her to medical.

"Your son is right." Void told them. "Rey Skywalker survived the massacre of the Jedi temple."

Leia crossed her arms, countenance shifting as the fleeting softness disappeared behind a hard mask. "How do you know that?"

"Because I was there." _That_ brought him up short, but the woman continued. "I was seventeen when Kylo Ren attacked the temple with his Knights. I was seventeen and terrified that I was going to become another casualty. I remember seeing the bodies, so small and broken, I remember hiding among them, covering myself in their blood and praying that they wouldn't give me a second look."

"Rey was with me and we hid from them. We hid among the dead and I'm glad that she doesn't remember that because it was _horrible._ The first chance we got we ran to the nearest shuttle, I only thought to get us as far away from the Academy as physically possible when we landed on Jakku." Leia studied the woman speaking, brown eyes sharp as she absorbed the words stoically. At her shoulder Han had moved a hand to her back, thumb brushing a careful line along her spine in a calming gesture. For her, for him, for both most likely as they listened to an impossible firsthand account.

Her first instinct was to call the pirate a liar, but Leia could tell through the Force that she was speaking the truth. So she started running the numbers, trying to think of who fit the description; the Academy had been opened to anyone interested in learning, no matter their age, or whether or not they were sensitive. All ages, all walks of life, Leia was certain that this pirate was someone she's met before.

"Like I told you," This confession was directed more at Ben, colored with shame. "I meant to go back to Jakku to get her, I meant to contact Luke, or your parents, but the shuttle was damaged. The naviputer malfunctioned and stranded me in the Outer Rim where I was picked up by a pirate gang. I didn't get the chance to go back to that planet until I was well into my twenties, and by that time… she was surviving. She wasn't happy, but she was alive and I thought—it had to be better than thrusting her into the middle of this war."

Ben stared coldly back. "You've always known more about me than I ever knew about you. How can you expect me to believe that this is the truth?"

Void reached up to press the release of her helmet. There was a hiss of air that sent chills down the General's spine as the woman pulled it up off of her head to reveal her face.

"I'll be damned." Han swore, jaw dropping in shock.

The emotion was mirrored on her face as the General found herself looking up into the amber eyes of Shara Bey. Except—Shara had been dead for over twenty years now, and the pilot had _never_ worn her hair that short, or boasted the impressive smattering of freckles that dotted the sharp planes of that familiar face. The face that she had looked into hours ago when she'd sent her best pilot to lead the rescue on Takodana. This was… today was a day of impossible things, a day of ghosts rising up and returning to life.

"Nia…" Leia stepped forward, lifting a hand to touch the cheek of the woman. "We thought you were dead."

Nia Dameron resisted the urge to duck away from the touch, heat rising to her face as emotion blurred her vision. She'd been running from this for years, running from her past and only letting two people know that she was alive. Only one, now.

 _Most days I wish I was._ She didn't say that, discarded the errant thought as she forced herself to relax under the calloused touch against her cheek. "Turns out I'm surprisingly hard to kill."

Ben was staring at her but as of yet he hadn't actually said anything. His face was shuttered down, completely unreadable, and Nia could only guess at his thoughts as an awkward silence stretched between them. She wanted him to say something, to react somehow but at the same time… she didn't know if she was ready to deal with it. Ben Solo had been one of her best friends growing up; he'd practically been raised with her and Poe and she had so many memories of them running around the forests of Yavin IV together. He had been so important to her, she had been so important to him, she knew he had to feel betrayed… he had to hate her now.

"We need to get back to the Resistance Base." Han broke the silence, lips working as he tried to think of the right words. "We can worry about _this_ after we deal with the Order, after we get Rey back."

"Right." This shouldn't be her fight. She'd gotten her vengeance against the First Order, she should retreat back into her territory and let their little war play out.

But the Order had blown up the entire Hosnian System, they made this everyone's fight. "I need to rendezvous with my crew. My fleet might be able to offer assistance, should you launch an attack on Starkiller."

Leia nodded, the General slipping back into her role as the circumstances caught up with them. "I'll send you the coordinates of the base. Keep your men in orbit and land; I'll want you in the mission briefing."

"Yes ma'am." Nia turned on her heel to find her ship, faltering when she felt the barest brush of a restraining hand on her arm.

"Get your shoulder looked at." Ben murmured. It wasn't a profession of forgiveness but it was an indication that he was still invested in her well being. As unfortunate and pathetic as it seemed it was enough to quicken the breath leaving her lungs.

Nia forced a brisk nod as she kept her features impassive. "I await the coordinates."

With that she was off to her ship.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sweet holy frick frack it has been forever. Like, crap, man, I'm so sorry. I've had this thing sitting in my documents for months and I just now finished it? If you're still even with me, you deserve an award for putting up with my crap but honestly? Work has been killing me. My job has gotten shittier than I seem to remember it and it's really draining... which isn't an excuse I know.**

 **Um, here's chapter four. Next chapter will maybe be up soon? Hard to say, I'm in the middle of trying to start a new job and move soon...**

 **Once again, thank you so much for putting up with me.**

 **Adara.**

Chapter Four

" _As of a few hours ago the First Order declared open war on the New Republic in an attack of terror that culminated in the instantaneous destruction of the Hosnian System."_

A tall figure stood at the center of the holo-feed, unmasked and unadorned save for a white bandage across their shoulder as the call was broadcast.

" _Five planets, and their respective populations were lost in the span of minutes by a supermassive weapon known as Starkiller Base in a show of malice that goes beyond even the actions of the old Empire. I fear this attack is only the beginning in a rapidly changing warzone by an organization that has surpassed separation and crossed over into tyranny. The Resistance is prepared to launch a counter-attack on Starkiller Base, however they are severely restricted in effectiveness by the size of their fleet."_

The figure looked around the conference room, met the eyes of their Lieutenant and took a steadying breath at the answering nod.

" _This is Void Commander reaching out to all active members of the Armada. I can not order you to join me in this fight, I_ _ **will**_ _not; we are pirates, and you swore your loyalty to me to get away from the actions of politics and law. Even as pirates we can not abide these tyrants who command a weapon with the power of the stars at their beck and call. I am asking you to take a stand, to defend not only your own lives but the lives of every free-thinking, sentient being who does not want to live a life of fear. I am asking you to defend the rights of every sentient being who wants to be able to make their own decisions about their own lives."_

" _I cannot order you to lie down your lives with no promise of reward, but I can ask. I ask you to stand with me, to rebel and resist the First Order, to loan your ships and, yes, maybe even your lives to the effort to destroy this monstrous regime. Should you accept, contact the_ _ **Command**_ _for the rendezvous coordinates. Should you decline… all I can ask is that you pray for your fellows. Void out."_

There was a pause as the message was transmitted, the call broadcast across encrypted channels until it reached the right ships. The conference room was bathed in a haze of red before, one by one, the communication channels began to stutter and flash in green.

* * *

The Resistance base was in an uproar as the X-wings landed with not only the famous _Millennium Falcon_ in tow, but also the infamous _Void Command_ as well. Technicians and droids swarmed the docking ships in a hurry to assess damages and get the birds ready for the next attack. It seemed that everybody had something to do, some mission to accomplish, save for the two men—and one droid—standing off to the side of _Black One_.

"Poe!" Finn let his hand slide down the pilot's arm, the sensation of vibrant orange flight suit more tangible proof of Poe's existence than the sight of the man. "Poe I need your help."

They had to go back and get Rey; Finn understood the importance of destroying Starkiller, of finding Luke Skywalker and defeating Kylo Ren. He did. It was all very good and important, sure, but not as important to him as saving his friend was. He couldn't leave Rey at the mercy of the Order, not after already seeing—living—what they did to people. Not after what they'd done to Poe.

Poe, who was looking at him so attentively, his hand gripping Finn's shoulder in a touch that was warm and comforting. "What do you need?"

"My friend, Rey, she was captured by Kylo Ren. I have to get to her, have to convince the General to let me get to her." The ex-stormtrooper explained, the urgency obvious in his voice.

"Yeah buddy." Poe nodded. "We'll go talk to the General right—"

"Poe?" Finn frowned at the way the pilot cut off, eyes wide as they focused on something behind him.

"I'm—" Poe pulled away distractedly. "Sorry Finn. Hang on one second and we'll get you to the General."

"...okay? Is something wrong?" But the pilot didn't answer, taking a few steps towards… Finn turned around to see the source of Poe's distraction, reflexively taking a step back when he saw Void storming towards them.

No, not _them_ ; the pirate was heading straight for Poe and she looked furious. Furious was, perhaps, an understatement in light of the expression on the woman's face, severe enough to send the other pilots and techs scattering out of her way. Finn wondered if he should step between them, should try and save the pilot, but he was reminded of the woman's reaction back on Takodana. Void had been visibly upset when she'd thought Poe had died, so she should be happy to see that he was alive, right?

"Poe Dameron," The woman snarled, jabbing a finger in his direction, "You have got to be the most arrogant, _reckless_ , idiotic and absolute worst pilot I have ever seen in my entire life! You are a terrible spy, an awful person, and your hair is dumb!"

Finn gaped at that, at the slight smile on the pilot's face as he watched her approach. "Is that right? Going easy on me are you?"

"Easy? You can't cook, you obnoxious, self absorbed _pfassking_ sack of bantha shit and—" With a smooth jerk Void ripped the helmet off her head and tossed it to the ground before launching herself into Poe's arms. "—I thought you were dead! I hate you, you had me worried sick you bastard!"

Poe choked out a laugh as he gathered the woman into a tight hug, face pressing into her shoulder, and Finn was shocked to realize that they looked almost like clones of one another. It was a happy reunion in spite of the rocky beginning and after a few long minutes the two pulled apart. Poe kept a hold on the woman, arm slung around her shoulders as he steered her towards where Finn was waiting, the confusion still evident on his face.

"Finn, buddy," The pilot grinned, "This is my twin sister Nia."

"We've already met." The ex-Stormtrooper offered on instinct as his dark eyes dropped to her shoulder. "How's it feeling?"

Void- _Nia_ -shrugged absently at the question with less than a passing glance. "Nothing a little bacta and some whiskey can't fix."

It made Finn wonder how many times she'd been shot in the past to be so unconcerned with the injury. There was an open ease to the woman that he hadn't seen before, though the few hours that Finn had known her wasn't nearly enough to speak for her typical body language. Still he wanted to believe that the relief and comfort had something to do with Poe's presence beside her; Finn was certainly in a much better mood to know the pilot had survived the crash on Jakku.

"The General is waiting for us in the briefing room, wherever that is." Nia was looking at her twin, arms crossed over her chest as her head tilted ever so slightly in response to a technician that passed by marginally closer than the others. "It's time to plan the assault on Starkiller."

"We've got to get to Rey." Finn remembered his earlier urgency, reaching out on instinct to grab Poe's arm.

The pilot nodded, looking between the two of them and then glancing towards a squat building to the left of them. "Right. Alright, we'd better get going then. C'mon follow me and-don't forget your helmet."

"Don't leave home without it." With a smooth motion the pirate leaned down and scooped up the discarded helmet as they moved together, shoving it onto her head. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is when I'm not wearing this thing? It feels like I'm naked."

Finn, as someone who had spent most of his life, could commiserate while simultaneously feeling nauseated by the prospect of wearing another helmet. He still couldn't shake the nagging sensation that everything was _wrong_ ; that he should be wearing his armor, his helmet, that he was just a number and he shouldn't let his face be seen. The Stormtroopers were meant to be interchangeable, disposable, just faceless bodies that served to pull the trigger and accomplish any and all tasks for the First Order. He felt naked without his helmet, he felt like everyone was staring at him- _judging_ him-and it was both terrifying and exhilarating.

He wasn't just a number anymore. FN-2187 was gone and he was Finn now, Finn who owned a jacket and a name both given to him by Poe. Finn, who had lost his best friend in the world and was now going to get her back, no matter what it took. Not that he said any of that. Hell, Finn wasn't sure there would be a way for him to vocalize everything that he was feeling and, either way, it was a throwaway comment in a private conversation between the twins.

"You're not going to get any sympathy from me." Poe told her matter-of-factly, "I always said you looked better without the damn thing."

"He says that," Nia tossed a look over at Finn, a grin curling her lips. "Because we look identical."

Which was something that completely baffled him. He knew what twins were, there were two in his early training block, a set of sisters that he could still remember. They looked similar, but not to the point of Nia and Poe. Even with the few minutes that the pirate was unmasked Finn had been struck by the fact that they were nearly the same. Poe was just a few inches shorter, his eyes shades darker, and he didn't have the freckles. Or the scar.

"That's a lie. You're much better looking than me." The pilot chuckled, his own smile softening when his sister gripped his arm. "Don't pull of that shade of red quite as well though."

"Get real laserbrain." Poe managed to startle a laugh out of Nia, Finn's lips twitching as he listened in amusement to their conversation. It wasn't so different in the First Order; the Stormtroopers had their own inside jokes, as surprising as it might seem. The only difference in this is that for the first time Finn felt included. Even if he wasn't expected to offer any sort of input they were still acknowledging his presence which was a novel sensation.

The three sobered as they approached the squat complex, Poe shoving himself in front as he waved away different officers and they entered the building. It was dank and cool, the stone lit with installed lighting and overgrown with trailing vines that twined around support pillars all the way to the ceiling. The admiralty board was deep in conversation, arguing with themselves about their course of action and nobody looked up as Poe led them straight to…

Well.

She was easily one of the smallest women Finn had ever seen in his life, wearing a simple jumpsuit with her silvery streaked hair braided elegantly. Her features looked tired, eyes that had seen too much hardship, and yet there was a determined set to her jaw as she spoke with one of the admirals. Ben was standing not too far behind her beside a man that could only be his father if the matching scowls were anything to go by.

"General Organa. Sorry to interrupt, but this is Finn and he needs to talk to you—" Poe began, drawing the shorter woman's attention.

Finn stiffened in surprise and a little bit of awe as she reached out to grab his hand, her eyes oh so gentle despite the iron will behind them. "And I need to talk to him; that was incredibly brave what you did. Renouncing the First Order, saving this man's life—"

"Thank you ma'am—" Phasma would have flayed him alive if he'd ever thought of interrupting her, and Finn would never even imagine trying it with Hux. "But a friend of mine was taken prisoner—"

"Rey." Something pained flashed across General Organa's features, old and haunted, and Finn noticed the responding flinch as Nia dropped her attention to the ground. "Yes. I'm sorry about what happened and rest assured we will do _everything_ we can to get her back, but first you must tell us everything about the Starkiller base."

The General turned to look at Nia, her features hardening into a familiar stern mask. "How many of your people have you been able to contact?"

"Of the ones near enough to offer assistance, all of them have offered their services." An edge of pride lined Nia's voice as she forced herself to look up. "I have twenty seven ships ready for further orders ma'am."

"Twenty seven?" The admiral repeated in astonishment. "Are their ships outfitted like yours?"

"The _Command_ is a unique ship, Admiral." Nia snorted. "There isn't anything outfitted like her. But my fleet can take a TIE in a dogfight any day."

Leia nodded briskly at that, lips pressed together. "Temmin Wexley is on his way with the reconnaissance report; we need to start drawing up a genuine plan of attack."

"The sooner we get rid of that thing the better." Ben cut a look to Finn, his expression bitterly amused. "Hope you've got some good news for us Big Deal."

* * *

"I've got something for you, if you want it." Nia broke off her conversation with Sasha at Poe's interruption, turning from her Lieutenant as her brother approached the _Command._

"Is it those three hundred credits from where you bet against me in the last Cage?" Poe faltered at that, brows pinching together briefly as he considered her words.

Sasha on the other hand scoffed, checking the charge on her blaster as her eyes lifted to the pair of them. "He only owes you three hundred? That must be nice; I make one bet against you and I owe you twice as much."

"I'm the favorite though." Poe replied good-naturedly. "But not what I mean. Come here."

Nia allowed herself to be pulled away from the ship with a parting wave to Sasha. The cyborg grunted in response to the gesture, no longer paying them any mind as she returned to making sure that the ship was prepped for launch and battle. Poe led her down a long line of X-wings, all painted white with detailing in shades of red, blue, green and brown. The pilots nodded in greeting to their Commander, the respect obvious in their gazes as Poe passed them and Nia dismissed the swell of pride as she realized just how well respected her twin was. It was a good thing; they _should_ respect her brother considering the fact that he was the best pilot in the damn galaxy.

"So what is this?" She asked curiously as they neared the end of the ships. "Because if you have something sappy and sentimental to say to me I don't want to hear it Poe."

"Shut up and take a look at this." He placed one hand on her back, between her shoulderblades as he used the other to gesture to the X-wing in front of them.

"What am I- _oh_." Nia tilted her head up to take in the entirety of the ship, jaw dropping slightly as her eyes hungrily devoured the sleek lines of the X-wing. "She's gorgeous."

Poe watched his sister out of the quarter of his eye, lips lifting at the giddy way she lifted her fingers as though to touch it. Nia had been born with the same obsession with X-wings as him, and Poe often wondered what might have been different if she'd been given the same chance at her future as he had. Would Nia have joined the Republic navy with him? Poe liked to imagine so; they'd had dreams of defending the Republic together, ardent supporters of democracy and freedom and the right to _choose_ and they'd been as far as looking at applications when the Academy fell.

"Yep." Poe couldn't help the goofy smile on his face at his twin's excitement. "She's yours if you want her."

Nia turned when he set a hand on her shoulder, her brows drawing together in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm piloting the _Command_."

"Yeah, but we both know your crew can manage without you Nia. I need you out here, on my six. You know there's no one I'd rather have at my back in a dog fight." It wasn't that Poe didn't trust his pilots; he had one of the best teams there was but he wanted his sister with him.

BB-8 let out a small trill, rolling forward to bump into the backs of her legs before chattering in agreement.

"You're ganging up on me too?" Even with the annoyance in her words her eyes slid back to the X-wing.

It looked a little beat up and she wondered at it's last pilot but… well, she would be a liar if she said the offer wasn't tempting. There were implications to it though; a pirate helming a Resistance fighter was one hell of a message to send. She wasn't concerned with the Order knowing who she threw her lot in with-with a select few exceptions she attacked with prejudice-but the rest of the pirates? It would be a bold move to say the least, one that could potentially weaken her reputation.

This battle was, without a doubt, one of the most dangerous ones that the Resistance had ever engaged in and she had already lost her brother once. In that X-wing Nia stood a better chance of watching his back, and that small fact in of itself was what made up her mind. There wasn't a damn thing she wouldn't do to protect Poe.

"Alright hermano, I'll fly with you." She decided, lifting a finger to jab at the air in front of him. "But. Only this once and-aw kriff you're gonna want me in one of those ugly orange flight suits aren't you?"

She did kind of hate her brother's dumb, smug, face. "Safety is our highest priority."

"Kriff off." Still, she was anxious to get her hands on a T-85. "Is there a rest of Gold Squadron?"

"Just one. A Thrysian named Nico. I'll introduce you if you'd like?" His smile was practically sunshine.

"You may as well, if I'm going to be flying with them." He let out a whoop of victory then, grabbing her by the arm and dragging. "Easy there hotshot!"

"We've gotta prep for launch." Poe waved down a few technicians that were standing around and looking considerably out of something to do. "Go ahead and give Gold One a scrub down, we're taking her out."

"Yes sir!" Nia quirked an eyebrow at the salute, catching her brother's eye.

"Don't you start with me."

"Yes sir, Commander Dameron sir." She laughed as she followed him and BB-8 to one of the equipment lockers on the tarmac. "Looks like you've moved up in the world."

BB-8 beeped a confirmation, and Nia took a step out of the way as her brother dug through some spare flight suits. The droid noticed her distasteful grimace and let out a noise of mild offense and distress that had her shaking her head.

"No sweetheart, _you_ look good in orange. I, however, do not." The pirate assured the droid, prompting a cheerful jingle. "This thing is ugly though."

"No sass out of you, Gold Leader." Poe tossed her a suit, catching the helmet as it was handed over. "I do appreciate this by the way."

The raven didn't answer at first as she fiddled with the strappings of her own external body armor, pulling at the fasteners. The practical purposes of the armor aside, there was a metaphorical significance to shedding her armor here at the base on D'Qar. There was a time-that time was yesterday-that she would have killed anyone who had tried to unmask her, would have taken her birth name to her grave, and was content with the fact that only two people in the entire galaxy knew that Nia Dameron was alive. And yet, here she was about to broadcast her identity to everyone and their uncle. For the most part it wasn't a huge deal; nobody really cared who Nia Dameron was and in comparison to some of the things she'd endured this was low on the list.

Ben knew though, so did Leia and Han and Chewbacca and everybody else she had grown up with. There was something freeing about that, and there was something that made her sick to her stomach at the same time.

"Besides," Poe grinned crookedly. "Technically I outrank you on this mission."

"The hell you do, _little_ brother!" She yelped. "I'm a Captain-technically I'm a queen!"

"Sure you're a pirate queen, and that would be really impressive if we were out in the Rim, but it doesn't really translate into Resistance Chain of Command…" Poe caught the inner jumpsuit that was tossed at his head, folding it. "Plus I'm older."

"You can take those thirty six minutes and shove them right up your—"

"Dameron, are you in here? I thought I heard your—" THe twins froze at the arrival of the new pilot, a younger looking girl with long black hair and a distinct blush on her face as she took in Nia's half-clothed state. "I-um, hello. Didn't know you had company, Poe."

And holy hells she was cute.

" _He_ doesn't, but I wouldn't mind being your company." Nia purred, sliding her arms into the sleeves. "Now, which Dameron are you looking for darling?"

She couldn't help but wink at the flustered woman while BB-8 shifted their optical sensor curiously between the two. The pilot blinked once, twice, before giving herself a slight shake as her eyes lit up. "Well I was looking for Poe, but that was before I realized I had options. I'm Jess Pava, to whom do I have the _distinct_ pleasure?"

"V-Nia." It was a little odd, giving her birth name out to a complete stranger, but she supposed there was no need for the secrecy here in the Resistance. "Y'know Jess, I used to think these flight suits were the ugliest things until you came in wearing one. I bet they'd look even better on my bedroom floor though."

"Hey! Hey, no. Not-uh." Poe slid between the two women waving his hands and glaring at his sister. "Nia stop trying to seduce my pilots. Testor, what do you want?"

With a pout she zipped the uniform and muttered "Kill joy."

"Saw they were working on Goldfinch." Jess shrugged by way of explanation. "Guess now I know why. Also thought I'd give you a warning; Solo's finished loading the _Falcon_ -which holy kriff-and we've got a fleet of pirate ships? When the hell did that happen?"

"Technically not the entire fleet." The suit was a little tight in her shoulders and hips, the sleeves shorter than she'd like, but it fit well enough. "Most of them are too far out to be of any help. Speaking of which…" She brought up her comm. "Hey Sash? I'm going to hop into one of these X-wings-yeah he roped me into it I know-I'm putting you at the helm of the _Command_."

Jess shot her an astounded look, and Nia blew her a kiss. "If you crash my ship I will kill you. Actually, if that's your attitude maybe I should put Ki'dara in charge? No? Okay that's what I thought."

"Go kriff yourself, you sack of bantha shit." Sasha snapped back good-naturedly. "I hope you get shot down."

"Even if I do you're still not getting my stuff! Love you!" Poe was watching her expectantly, and Jess… well she was pretty sure the girl was going to swallow some bugs if she didn't close her mouth soon. "Crew's good. I'm going to go find, um what did you call it? Goldfinch? That's a cute name. But yeah, I'll go find Goldfinch and get myself acquainted."

"You do that. See if you can find Nico and introduce yourself too. You'll notice them by the green hair." She waved her brother off as she left the supply locker, leaving Jess with a much more sincere farewell, and stepped out into the sun.

The way the flight suit caught the light was enough to make Nia crince and instinctively reach for the chain around her neck. She didn't go so far as to pull out the pendant, but it did succeed in calming her nerves if only a little bit. It was hard not to feel like a target, especially while wearing neon orange, hard not to feel like she was being watched, and oh how she longed for the comfort of her gear. There was a safety to it, the anonymity of being masked and being Void. The sense of safety in being a complete unknown that had driven her to the callsign, that had allowed her to take Nia Dameron, her ghosts and her demons, and lock them away. To shove them into that empty space in her mind and forget… if only for a little while. Where as now she felt raw, on display, and she hated it.

Hence why she had taken so long to actually come to the Resistance.

Hell, Nia still wouldn't be here if it weren't for Kylo Ren taking Rey. But… she cared about the kid, had given up too much to keep Rey safe and Nia would be damned if she wasn't going to do anything to get the scavenger back. She arrived at the ship with minimal issue and, minus one very confused technician, it seemed as if the X-wing was ready for launch.

"So, you're the new Gold Leader?" Nia twitched at that question, dropping back to the ground from the first step of the ladder as her eyes sought the source.

The Thrysian was flicking through the log report for _Gold One_ , brows pulled together. "And you're a pirate?"

She relaxed, noting the green hair and assuming that this had to be Nico. "Temporarily, yeah. My career choice isn't going to be a problem is it?"

Nico straightened and took a step forward, shrugging their slim shoulders as they tried to mask the aggression in their frame. Instinctively Nia shifted to the balls of her feet, sizing up the approaching alien and scanning for weaknesses. Instinct beaten into her from early years of Cage fighting, by the time the slender pilot was a few feet away Nia was prepared to put them down in three moves or less. But aggression didn't necessarily mean violence, and while they were _angry_ , they didn't look like they wanted to fight her.

"I'm Nico, I'll be your Gold Two. I saw what you came in on, you think you can fly one of these things?" They asked.

"My last X-wing was a T-70, but yeah." Nia relaxed slowly, accepting the proffered hand. "Hear these ones handle easier. I'm Nia."

"Engine thrust will sneak up on ya if you ain't careful, but with the beauty you came in on? It shouldn't be a problem."

"You a fan?" Tension loosening, smile almost reaching the eyes, Nia felt slightly more at ease with the Thyrsian as she realized that the posture was a response to the upcoming battle.

They huffed out a laugh at the question, passing over the data pad. "Everything looks good, right plasma trigger's a little sticky though." When they leaned in, she caught the faint scent of amber and black currant and kriff if that wasn't a good smell. "Fan is an understatement; I was close to signing on with your crew before the Resistance recruited me."

Nia needed to have a conversation with her brother about all of the attractive pilots, because they were apparently everywhere on D'Qar.

"I'm willing to bet we have a better retirement plan." Considering that for the most part she didn't send her men to go destroy large planet-exploding superweapons, she felt it was a pretty safe bet.

There was an easy sort of camaraderie between her and Gold Two now that she was certain that they weren't going to fight. "Oh yeah. Better pay as well, but… I have few regrets joining up here."

"That's where I run into trouble;lots of regrets as a pirate-too much alcohol oft leads to poor life choices." She confessed, a swear ripping out of her mouth when the comm went off suddenly and made her jump. "Damn thing. I guess we're about to get into position."

"Yeah, well, you've got company incoming." Nico jerked their chin to where Ben was approaching, attention focused entirely on her.

She swallowed the slight flutter that crawled up her throat, because _damn_ he looked good and, damn, he looked like a man on a mission. "How do you know he's coming to see me?"

"Sister," The pilot smirked, "I'm not lucky enough to have Ben Solo looking at me like that. I'll make myself scarce and give you two a bit of privacy."

 _Please don't_. Nia almost wanted the pilot to stay, if only for the buffer of having another person around to keep Ben from saying anything emotionally compromising. She'd rather save the heartfelt conversation-say for never. Not that that would stop Ben; the two of them were complicated enough and this was only going to make it worse. And Nia didn't _do_ complicated, though the current situation would call her a hypocrite… okay, she tried not to do complicated. Stars knew how hard she tried to avoid the smuggler the first time she saw him; on the run from the Hutts, just like his father. She should have walked away, let him handle his own problems, she'd tried but…

But he was Ben and she was Nia and they'd always been something to each other.

"Heard you're all ready to go." She called in greeting, trying to forestall the inevitable. "Got some sort of hair-brained scheme to get Starkiller's defenses lowered?"

"Shut up." Nia lifted a brow in surprise at the order.

Surprise that quickly turned into annoyance. "Excuse me? That's rather juvenile of you, don't you—"

"Shut." Without breaking stride Ben grabbed her arms, careful of the bandaged shoulder. "Up."

There was a tightness in his voice, tension in his frame that Nia didn't want to argue with. So she waited, heart lodged firmly in her throat as his dark eyes traced over the features of her face. Features that he hadn't truly seen in almost sixteen years. And that was the thing; sixteen _years_ was a long time to go without seeing someone, thinking that they were dead only to have them come back two in one day. There was a part of him that was angry, so utterly furious at Nia for not only hiding the truth about Rey but also about herself. It would be one thing if they just passed through each other's circles, friendly but ultimately distant, but they didn't. They were there, they had fought, bled, and slept together regularly. They were… something more than acquaintances.

As much as Void had insisted that it meant nothing, they both knew it was a lie. Especially now, now that he knew who she was, why she felt so familiar.

His palms scraped over the itchy material of her flight suit and Ben couldn't help but stare. "It's you."

He never would have guessed that _Nia_ was the one hiding beneath that helmet. She was the one who made him laugh, made him so angry he couldn't see straight, made him fall apart exclusively to have her put him back together.

"It's kinda not actually, at least not in the way you're thinking." She had more freckles than he remembered, and she'd never worn her hair this short, but Chaos help him it was her and she was beautiful. "That's… I'm not really her anymore. I'm more Void than anything else."

"Nia, that's not—" He opened his mouth just to have her speak over him.

"I'm still a pirate, still a criminal with an inability to emotionally open up with anyone, this actually doesn't change anything at all, Ben. Nia Dameron, the girl you knew, was soft and weak and she had to go. So… you know, if that's what you're hoping for you're better off moving on and forgetting about me." It wasn't necessarily that she wanted Ben to walk out of her life; she was selfish, wanted to keep him close without having to let him do the same, but this was for the best. The best for both of them.

"You…" He paused, swallowing hard as he gathered his thoughts. "You're so full of shit. Honestly it's a wonder you're not surrounded by flies.

His hands reached up to cup her face and neck, fingers splaying and thumb brushing across the sharp line of her cheek. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm not telling you to stop being a pirate to join me on the _Falcon_. I don't know who it is I suddenly think you are, but you don't have to try and be that person. This might come as a surprise, but I happen to _know_ the person you are now, and strangely enough, I like that person. Asshole."

She almost smiled at the faint insult, turning her face into his touch. "I'm not a good person anymore."

"And I am?" He lifted an eyebrow at that. "I don't want you to change, Void Commander, but you can't just expect this not to matter to me. This does affect things, like it or not."

"I choose not." She decided, reaching out to rest her palm on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his sternum. "You're going to want to talk. I don't like talking."

"And yet you do it so often without saying anything." Everything around them seemed to quiet, just a little, and Ben couldn't bring himself to look away from the amber cast of her eyes. How often had he wondered exactly what color they were? Nothing in his imagination could stand up to the warmth that he saw. "Just come back in one piece. We'll go from there."

They were soft, those words, and they reminded her of the mission at hand. They were about to launch a potentially suicidal rescue mission against the Starkiller. And Ben was leading the ground charge… where he could easily die. Or she could get shot out of the sky as well.

Fuck.

"You be careful yourself, Solo." Nia warned, unwilling to let herself get distracted by the flighty ache in her chest at the thought of something happening to him. "I need you alive and uninjured if I'm to have my way with you during the victory celebration."

He was in charge of the most dangerous part of the mission; if things went wrong they would all die.

"You're more beautiful than I could have ever imagined under that mask." Those words sounded too much like a goodbye, his hands on her face burning and desperate. It felt final, something hot and possessive and under normal circumstances she would recoil but-no, she wasn't going to let him go off and get himself killed.

It was when he started to pull away that Nia lunged forward, angry and scared and maybe a little emotional as she threw her arms around his neck to pull him down. The kiss itself was hard, lips bruising and teeth nipping as she slotted her body against his trying for as much physical contact as possible. Nia let him swallow a soft sigh that sounded just a bit too much like a sob when the smuggler dropped his hands down to her waist and _lifted._

Her movements were erratic, hungry and pressing as her hands roamed over every inch of his body that she could reach, trying so hard to commit it all to memory. She could hate that little whine later, but right now Nia needed to convey every thought and emotion she would never be able to say to him. Ben, at least, seemed to understand intuitively what she was doing, clinging to her just as fiercely. She wanted to taste him, to draw him inside of her, right into that hollow space in her chest where she could keep him safe.

And that fucking terrified her.

"You bring yourself back to me Ben Chewbacca Organa-Solo, do you understand?" She growled, tugging on his hair so that their eyes met. "That's a kriffin order."

"Yes ma'am." Nia had to bite back a reaction when he pressed one last kiss to her forehead. Her heart was lodged firmly in her throat and she had to rip her gaze away from him.

She would kill Kylo Ren with her bare hands if he took one more thing from her.


End file.
